Beneath a Rowan Tree
by Wish of Saturn
Summary: Join the Marauders, Lily, and other Hogwarts students as they make their journey through life, in a world where Voldemort never existed.
1. Chapter 1

_Disclaimer: I own nothing but the ideas and characters you don't recognize._

A portly man with graying hair walked down a well-trodden path of a forest in eastern Scotland, searching for royal helleborine. It was already mid-June, and with the school year only ending a few days prior, the man had already lost two weeks of the already short flowering-season of the plant, which he needed freshly plucked for a new potion he was attempting to create—according to his research the properties of the helleborine would lessen the acidity of the potion he was most recently working on, thus making it safe for consumption. Wandering aimlessly off the path, the man continued to mull over problems with his potion, only stopping once he could no longer hear the noise of the stream he had passed half an hour earlier. Bending down, he shuffled the litter on the ground around, scooping a handful of soil and stones up.

"Let's see then…dry, coarse—a bit of minerals and sediments, some limestone fragments. Yes, this should be the perfect area for the flower…now, if I were an orchid, where would I grow?" The strange man, cloak swirling around him in the warm June breeze, looked around, noticing sunlight coming through what looked to be the edge of the tree line. "Aha! Perfect place, perfect place…" Waddling over to the area, he noted a wide assortment of weeds and flowers, all blooming in the half-shaded area, before finally seeing the dark-red buds he had been searching for.

Kneeling down beside the plants, he produced a rather intricately decorated stick from a pocked within his vest and, with a flourishing movement, conjured up a simple basket. Taking a silver knife from another of his vest pockets, he carefully sliced a few of the stems, placing them in the baskets, ensuring that the flowers were safely attached. "Now all I need is to get them to some water…possibly try to cultivate them. Pity that the newest herbology professor hasn't yet been announced; it would be so much easier to work on this if I had assistance from another capable individual." Continuing to mutter to himself, he collected a few more stems, before standing up and placing a statis charm on the plants.

Dusting himself off quickly, the man looked around for anything else that might be of use to him. Frowning at the lack of useful plant life, he began walking back towards the stream he had previously heard, before laughing lightly to himself and disappearing from the wilds, only to reappear a few miles west, where he could clearly hear the water from the stream.

"Good thing this is the old country, otherwise I might have to worry about muggles. Even in these modern times they still believe these woods are full of fairies, elves, and other fanciful folk." He gave a hearty laugh, shaking his head. "Of course, no one thought to think that we were the culprit; that wizards and witches started the rumors of the woods being haunted and full of creatures that would wreak havoc."

Walking closer to the stream, he realized it was smaller than he had anticipated—more of a brook than a stream, really. Glancing around hurriedly, the man noticed a surplus of fluxweed growing around the bases of several nearby trees—perfect, as his stock was slowly dwindling, and fluxweed did tend to last quite a while when dried properly. Grinning and humming quietly to himself, he gently cut a few bundles of the plant, wrapped them in some spare cloth, and set them in the basket with the helleborine. Nodding to himself, he stood up, brushing his pants legs off once again—and froze.

Was that… _crying_? Shaking his head at the impossibility, the man turned around to leave before freezing again. It couldn't be crying, it wouldn't be even remotely probable, and yet, it was the very distinct sound of a crying baby. Sparing a quick look around to be sure that no one was near, he whipped out the same strange stick and muttered incoherently, only for a bright light to shoot out of the stick, leading him the direction of the wailing. He made his way through the brush, brambles pulling at his cloak and sticking him in the legs. Wincing, the man made it to a small clearing where a large rowan tree stood alone in the center. There, at the base of the tree, lay the culprit of the wailing—a tiny baby, swaddled in pink and green, lying in a crib-like basket.

The man rushed to the child, looking around for something, _anything_ , that might indicate why it was there. _Not it,_ he corrected himself, _she_. Carefully picking up the distressed child, a piece of paper fluttered innocently to the ground, dancing in the summer breeze.

"What's this?" He muttered, shifting the child so that he could pick up the note and read it. "Oh-ho!

'Dear My Mysterious Prince,

I know we met but two times, and only the second did we join together, but it was enough to get me with child. My parents are furious and have threatened the life of our child, should she remain here any longer. I cannot leave my family—they would hunt me down, I am sure, and our little one would not survive—but even so, I cannot live with the thought that our daughter, the only proof of our love, would be harmed. Therefore, I have decided to leave her here, in hopes that you will find her, and I shall lead my family away from this place so that she will be safe. I will not pretend to know exactly what you are—Fae, Fair Folk, or otherwise—but I hope that you will, at least, be able to give a life to here, whereas I can only provide death. My one request is that her name remains what I gave to her at birth: Rowan, for the tree that we met beneath, the tree we fell in love beneath.

I love you both with all my being—in this world, and the next.

Love always,

 _Aspen Gallagher_.'"

The man sat there for some time, gently rocking the now slumbering child, before quietly conjuring up a quill and parchment, and scribbling a hasty note upon it. Nodding with satisfaction, he stood up, the child still in his arms, and looked down at her with sad eyes. "Well, Miss Rowan Gallagher, let us see what the headmaster will think of you." Gathering her basket and his, he took out the same stick, and within the blink of an eye, the two were gone. The only evidence that the clearing had been invaded was a note, nailed to the rowan tree, fluttering in the breeze, reading:

 _If you are acquainted with one Miss Aspen Gallagher, please write to me as soon as you read this correspondence, as it is of the utmost importance. You may address the letter to Professor Horace Slughorn, Hogwarts School, Scotland_

* * *

"And that, my dear, is the story of how your Uncle Horace found you." A stern looking woman looked down upon a child, lying in bed, tucked in for the evening. "Nearly eleven years have passed since he brought you here and discovered that you were, in fact, down for the list of future students, and so I decided to take you in."

The girl smiled, her stormy eyes bright as she looked up at the only mother she had ever known. "Thank you, Aunt Minnie." She snuggled deeper into her pillow, her auburn hair surrounding her head like a halo, and yawned.

A barely discernible smile crossed the woman's face, as she gently tucked the blankets tighter around her ward. "I believe that means it is time for you to get some sleep—you have a big day tomorrow, after all. And, as I have no classes to teach in the morning, we can spend it together, for your birthday. Horace has no evening classes on Wednesdays, so you'll be able to spend time with him as well. Alright, child?"

Rowan nodded sleepily, her eyes sliding shut. "I love you, Aunt Minnie. Thank you."

Misty-eyed, the stern woman's face softened as she looked at the girl. "I love you, too, my dear girl. Now sleep." Turning around, she flicked off the light, cracking the door shut as she left.

 _A/N (this is slightly long, but will *hopefully* be the only long one.) Hello, all! Just a couple quick notes to clear up some confusion before it begins! This story will take place in the Marauder's time at Hogwarts, minus the first two or three chapters! However, there is a bit of a twist: Voldemort never existed. That's not to say that Tom Riddle was never born—he was—he just never became evil. He may or may not show up in this story (it wouldn't be as anything important), but his lack of wanting to cleanse the Wizarding World will mean that there are some major changes to the story line that we all know and love._

 _Also, I really despise Slughorn in the books—not because he's evil or horrid or anything, but because I always felt like he was partially to blame for Voldemort becoming so evil and so powerful, yet he never took responsibility for his own actions. So, I've opted to tweak him a little bit. I feel as though part of the reason Slughorn was so obsessive about "collecting" influential students was to make up for his failing with Tommy-boy. Therefore, he won't be as obsessive about it, and he will have some nicer qualities, although he will still stay true to his Slytherin roots!_

 _Anywhooo…that's it for now! Please let me know what you think of it, any constructive bits you have to offer, or even ideas you have that you'd like to see (although no promises on that, as I do have a good amount of this planned out). XoXo—Saturn_


	2. Chapter 2

_Disclaimer: I own nothing!_

Blinking her eyes blearily and yawning loudly, a young redheaded girl sat up looking around her room. She finger combed her hair, contemplating going back to sleep before jumping out of bed in a frenzy.

"May nineteenth! It's today!" She danced around the room, throwing on a lilac shift dress and some house slippers, before charging down the hallway. "Aunt Minnie! Aunt Minnie, is it here yet?!"

Minerva McGonagall sat at a round, wooden table; her eyebrows raised high upon her forehead. "Rowan, please calm down. With all your yelling you're sure to scare off any owl that might be tempted to come near the cottage. As for the letter, no, it has yet to arrive. Although, the Daily Prophet was just delivered, so your letter shouldn't be too far behind. Now sit down and have a bit of breakfast." The woman went back to reading her paper before looking up again, with the smallest of smiles on her face. "And Rowan, dear, Happy Birthday."

Smiling back at her aunt, Rowan filled her plate with some food, munching happily while looking out the cottage window every few seconds. Buttering some toast, she looked up at the window again, before dropping her toast and releasing an excited squeal. "Owl! There's an owl coming!"

Flying over to window, Rowan hurriedly unlocked it and waited for the owl to land on the nearby perch. As the owl sipped water and happily ate the snacks laid out for it, Rowan untied the letter attached to its leg, hands shaking. Turning the letter over, she faced her aunt, and slowly read out what was on the front of the letter.

" _Ms R. Gallagher_

 _The Second Bedroom_

 _32 Will-O-Wisp Lane_

 _Caithness, Scotland"_

Spinning around in circles happily, Rowan looked at her aunt with a large smile on her face. "Oh! I can't believe it's finally here, Aunt Minnie! Can I open it?!"

The woman shook her head, a genuine smile on her face. "I daresay you can, considering it has your name on it, child."

Bouncing on the balls of her feet, Rowan tore open the envelope, pulling out the papers enclosed, before reading it aloud.

" _Dear Ms Gallagher,_

 _We are pleased to inform you that you have a place at Hogwarts School of Witchcraft and Wizardry. Please find enclosed a list of all necessary books and equipment._

 _Term begins on 1 September. We await your owl by no later than 31 July._

 _Yours sincerely,_

 _Minerva McGonagall_

 _Deputy Headmistress_ "

Rowan looked up at her aunt, giving her a lopsided grin. "Aunt Minnie! You never told me that _you_ were the one who wrote out the letters! And do I have to send in an owl to you, or can I just tell you now?"

Letting out a slight laugh, Minerva walked over to her niece and hugged her. "I don't believe it's necessary for you to send in an owl, dear. Now, what would you like to do for your birthday?"

Looking up at her aunt, the girl shuffled her feet slightly. "Could we go get my books from Diagon Alley? I know we'll have to wait until its closer to the start of term to get my supplies so that they're in good condition, but I really want to start reading!"

"I think I can agree to that. And perhaps we'll pick up some other books that you'll enjoy, as well. Go get ready; we'll leave as soon as you're done."

Hugging her aunt quickly, Rowan ran back down the hall to her room to get dressed. After a few moments she ran back into the kitchen, hair brush in hand as she quickly threw her hair up into a pony tail. "Alright! I'm ready! How are we getting there?"

Looking around the cottage, Minerva looked at the fireplace, contemplating. "I think it's time you try Floo Powder, dear. You've seen me use it, and your tutor has discussed it with you, so I think now would be a good time for you to actually use it." She looked down at her ward, and held a flower pot out to her.

Smiling nervously, Rowan picked up a handful of the powder and threw it into the fire, turning it green. Grabbing another handful, she stepped into the warm, tickling flames and, looking up at her aunt, said, "Diagon Alley!" before throwing the powder down toward her feet, and disappearing in a swirl of green flame.

* * *

 _A little over three months later…_

"Rowan! You need to get up or we'll be late for the train!"

Rolling over, Rowan looked at her clock, startled to see that it was already ten thirty. Rushing around, she got dressed and ran down to the kitchen. "Sorry, Aunt Minnie, I was so excited that I couldn't fall asleep!" Looking at the table, she saw a lunch bag with an apple sitting next to it.

Her aunt looked at her, smiling slightly. "I thought that might happen, so I've packed you some food to take along. And I'll have a house elf grab your trunk from my office, so we won't need to worry about that. So, we will be apparating directly onto the platform. Now, are you ready?"

Rowan looked around, checking that her wand was in her bag, before nodding. "I think so." Stepping next to her aunt, she gently grabbed onto her arm.

Minerva looked down at her, slightly misty eyed. "You'll do wonderful, dear." Within a moment, the space they had stood in was emptied.

Appearing on a crowded platform, Rowan looked around with wide eyes. She was jostled slightly by the crowds of students saying goodbye to their families.

Guiding her away to an area without crowds, Minerva McGonagall looked down at her ward. "Now, I put some money in your bag in case you get hungry during the train ride. Mind that you don't eat so much that you can't eat your dinner. The sorting ceremony is very simple and shouldn't take too terribly long. You'll be wonderful, Rowan."

Looking up at her aunt, Rowan smiled. "I'm a little nervous, Aunt Minnie. What if I don't get into your house? Or into Uncle Horace's? I wouldn't want to disappoint either of you."

Taking her niece into her arms, Minerva hugged her gently. "You could never disappoint us, child. We'll be proud of you no matter which house you end up in, and we both love you very much. Now, time to get on the train, dear."

Rowan nodded slowly, hugging her aunt back. "I love you, too, Aunt Minnie." Stepping back, she double checked that she still had her bag, before looking over at the train. "I guess I'll see you tonight, then?" Seeing her aunt's nod, she took a deep breath and walked toward the train, only turning to look back once she had safely boarded. Giving a small wave, she turned back and made her way down the cart's corridor, passing several compartments full of other students. A pair of older twin boys with shaggy red hair sat in a compartment with a few other students, telling them about their first nephew who they had finally got to meet during summer vacation. A few compartments down Rowan passed by a boy with pale skin, who looked extremely tired. Coming to the last compartment available in the cart, Rowan peeked through the window and saw one boy sitting alone. Knocking, she slid the door open when he nodded at her.

Shuffling her feet awkwardly, she looked at the boy. "Umm…is it alright if I join you? Most of the other compartments have a lot of people, or older students. I'll be quiet; you'll hardly even know I'm here!" She blushed as he raised an eyebrow before laughing at her.

"Come on in! I take it you're a first year, then?" His brown eyes were genuine and friendly as he spoke to her, instantly settling her nerves.

"Yeah, I am." She settled across from him, tucking her bag under her feet. "Is it that obvious?"

He laughed, giving a slight shrug. "Only because you're nervous—I was the same way when I started last year. Not to freak you out or anything, but, I think you may have forgotten your trunk?"

Rowan laughed, shaking her head. "Uh, well, you see, it's already there. At Hogwarts, I mean." She twirled her hair nervously. "You see, my aunt took it to the school. I know it's a bit strange, but, there it is."

The brunette nodded, looking at her closely. "Your aunt?" He looked speculative for a moment, before snapping his fingers and pointing at her. "Not Professor McGonagall? I remember overhearing her and Professor Slughorn talking about their niece who would be starting at school this year."

She blushed, folding her hands nervously over in her lap. "That'd be her, yeah. My name is Rowan Gallagher; it's nice to meet you." She held a hand out to him, smiling.

He grabbed her hand, enthusiastically shaking it. "Frank Longbottom, second year. It's nice to meet you, Gallagher. Or, do you mind me calling you Rowan?"

She smiled brightly, "Rowan's fine!"

Frank nodded at her, looking quizzical for a moment. "So, wait. McGonagall is your aunt and Slughorn is your uncle, right?" At her nod, he continued. "Which house do you think you'll end up in, then?"

Rowan frowned. "Well, I'm not really sure. I'm not exactly sure where I would fit in, you know?"

The older boy smiled at her. "Well, I'm in Gryffindor! Why don't you tell me about yourself and I'll tell you about the houses, and we can figure out where you might end up? It comes down to the sorting, of course, but it's always fun to guess!"

Smiling, Rowan agreed. "Ok. Let's see…I like to read and learn, but I also like to play tricks on Aunt Minnie and Uncle Horace, and—" She paused at his snort of laughter. Seeing her slight glare, the boy put up his hands in a sign of surrender.

"I'm sorry, it's just—they're professors, you know? It's kind of funny to hear you call the sternest professor of the school 'Aunt Minnie'. It just isn't something I'm used to." He shrugged apologetically at her, and she simply shook her head with a smile before continuing.

"Right. Well, I think it's weird to hear you call them 'Professor Slughorn' and 'Professor McGonagall', when I've been calling them aunt and uncle my whole life. So we'll agree to disagree, yeah?" Seeing his nod, she picked up where she had left off. "Anyway, I also enjoy playing with animals. Although truthfully, I'm more of a dog person than a cat person, which grates on my aunt's nerves all the time. Oh, and so far, from what I've read at least, Herbology and Astronomy look the most interesting of all the classes! So what does that tell you about me, oh-wise-second-year?" She stuck her tongue out at him, grinning happily when he laughed at her.

"Well, my innocent, first year, I would guess you're either a Ravenclaw or a fellow Gryffindor! You could be a Slytherin, but, I dunno. You don't really fit the bill, you know? You don't seem super ambitious or sneaky, even if you do like to play tricks on people. And I just can't see you as a Hufflepuff." Frank gave her a lopsided smile and half shrug.

Rowan nodded, taking a bite out of her apple and chewing before responding. "That's kind of what I've been thinking, too. I really want to be in Gryffindor, what with it being my aunt's house, but I don't know if I would really fit in well there."

"Well, it's not like she'll be upset if you end up in another house, right? As long as you're doing your best?" He looked at her, a little unsure.

She shook her head, smiling. "No, she wouldn't be upset. She said she'll be happy no matter where I end up, as long as I'm happy there."

He sat back, happy with himself. "See? So, no matter where you end up, it'll all work out! Besides, you've already got one friend in Gryffindor, so I think you'll be fitting in just fine!" Frank smiled over at her encouragingly.

The girl blushed slightly, smiling widely. "Well, that's a relief! I thought you were just asking me questions to try to convince me to end up anywhere but there!" She teased him, kicking his shin lightly.

Frank let out a faux gasp, placing a hand over his heart. "How could you?!" Wiping a nonexistent tear from his eye, he continued. "You thought I would try to get rid of you so quickly? And in such a boring way? I deserve more credit than that! If I had tried to get rid of you, it would have been a memorable experience for both of us…and for the compartments on either side of us!" He gave her a big grin as she busted out laughing.

"I apologize for wounding your pranking ego, oh-wise-second-year! I won't let it happen again!" She continued to giggle as he nodded his head importantly.

"See to it that you don't, firstie, or I'll have to unleash my pranks upon you!" Staring at each other for a moment, they both dissolved in fits of laughter.

* * *

A few hours had come and gone, and the two new friends were happily snacking on some _Bertie Bott's Every Flavor Beans_.

"Hey, Frank, I have a question?" Seeing his nod, she continued. "Why were you sitting by yourself?"

Frank laughed, blushing slightly. "Well, my best mate's name is Riyyan, Riyyan Patil. Usually he'd have been here early, but there was an—err— _incident_ yesterday." Seeing Rowan's raised eyebrow, Frank continued. "I _might_ have accidently caused him to land in St. Mungo's?"

Rowan's jaw dropped, before she tossed her head back as she laughed. " _Accidently_?!"

Defensive, the boy glared. "Yes, accidently! I didn't know he was going to slip on the dung bomb and shatter his elbow, ok? And it wasn't even that bad—the healer's just wanted to make sure he wouldn't be tempted to do anything else remotely 'dangerous and stupid', as they put it, before getting to school." Frank crossed his arms over his chest, still glaring at the girl.

Seeing his glare and slight pout, Rowan tried to backtrack. "Oh, I'm sorry! It's just, it's so funny, you know? I've never heard of anyone accidently causing their best friend to be sent to St. Mungo's, so it was kind of a shock." Still giggling slightly, she smiled at him.

He rolled his eyes at her, and gave an exaggerated sigh. "Well, I suppose it could be a bit of a shock to someone who doesn't know how to have as much fun as me!"

She kicked his shin lightly, glaring at him. "I know how to have fun, just fine, thank you!"

"Well then why haven't any of _your_ friends ended up in the hospital from having too much fun?" He raised an eyebrow at her, challenging her.

"I—well, I—" Freezing slightly, Rowan bit at her lip, staring down at her lap. "I guess…I never really had any friends, you know? My aunt and uncle always made sure to make time for me, but when they were teaching I was always at the tutor's learning to read and write, maths, and other subjects. There were other students, too, but we never really spent time together outside of lessons." She kicked her feet awkwardly, looking up at him through her hair that had fallen in her face. "I guess I'm kind of a killjoy, huh?"

Frank shook his head, looking down. "I'm sorry. I shouldn't have said that. Really, I'm not happy that I'm the reason Riyyan got hurt. I wasn't looking forward to the trip at all today, honestly. But, I'm kind of glad, you know? Otherwise, I might not have met you. I'm an only child, you know, but if I had a sister, I kind of hope she'd be like you. Is that weird?" He looked at her, a hopeful expression on his face.

Smiling widely, Rowan shook her head. "I've always wanted a sibling, so I don't think it's weird."

Confidence restored, Frank grinned full force at her. "Good. Then from today on, you're my little sister. I'll help you figure out school, ok? And if anyone gives you problems, I'll take care of it!"

Laughing, Rowan nodded before throwing a wrapper from a Chocolate Frog at his head. "Deal! And in return, I'll annoy any girls that get too close to you and annoy you!"

Frank nodded, looking out the window, before standing up. "Well, since that's settled, I'm going to run to the loo to change into my robes. We shouldn't be too far away now."

Bouncing slightly in excitement, Rowan all but pushed him out the door, laughing when he almost fell on his bum before regaining his footing. Pulling out a book to read until he returned, Rowan immersed herself in one of her favorite Fairy Tales, before hearing the door to the compartment slide open.

"That was fast, Fra—" She paused, looking at the boy, confused. Instead of a brunette, a messy, black-haired boy stood in front of her. His hazel eyes were hidden behind a pair of thin rimmed glasses, and they were filled with confusion.

"Sorry, I guess I mistook you for someone else. I was looking for a girl I met earlier, and I swear you were her, but your eyes are completely different." He got a faraway look in his eyes. "She was dreamy…"

Rowan raised an eyebrow, looking at him, amused. "Right. Well, obviously she wasn't me, so, sorry?"

The boy shook himself out of his daydream before nodding. "Right. Sorry about interrupting, I'll just be going now." With that, he turned away and left the compartment, sliding the door shut with a resounding _click_.

Rowan continued to stare at the door until Frank returned, and as he slid the door open she melted into a fit of giggles, trying to explain between breaths. Shaking his head, Frank helped her out of the seat as the train pulled into the station, and led her to a waiting Hagrid, with promises of saving her a seat at the Gryffindor table, should she end up there.

 _A/N: And there we have it: Our first view of eleven year old James Potter! So, yeah, I figured he and Sirius would still have met Lily and Severus (same as in the book), and Lily probably wouldn't have been very happy with how he treated her best friend. But, with what we do know, I figured his—erm—love for her would have started early on. Or he just couldn't stand the fact that a pretty girl chose a less appealing boy over him. And of course, Frankie-boy made his appearance, as well as a mention of the Patil twins' father (who in the books is never named, so just go with it!). Any guesses for who the redheaded twins with the new(ish) nephew were? And any guess on who that nephew is? Xoxo—Saturn_


	3. Chapter 3

_Disclaimer: I own nothing_

After listening to the mountain of a man's instructions about the boat, Rowan followed the other first years to the boats, staying quietly at the back of the group. Hesitantly, she looked at around, and ran to an empty boat after hearing Hagrid's bellow of "No more'n three to a boat!"

Carefully holding onto the sides of the boat, the girl eyed the water distrustfully, glaring at the ripples on the surface. Feeling the craft rock slightly, Rowan turned around and came face-to-face with the same boy from before.

He sighed, shaking his head. "Darn. I did it again, huh?"

She laughed slightly, nodding. "Looks like it." She looked around, and spotted a red-headed girl with a dark haired boy. "Is that her, over there?" The two had already joined another pair of students in a boat.

He glared in the direction of the other boy. "Hn. Yeah. Oh well, maybe we'll be in the same house!" He got a goofy smile on his face as he looked at the lake with a dreamy expression.

Rowan looked at the boy, eyebrows raised. "Right, well, alright then." Turning back around, she noticed that they had slowly started moving forward across the lake, and gripped the boat tightly.

"Not a fan of boats?" The boy behind her asked.

Not turning around, she answered, "Not a fan of water bigger than a swimming pool—specifically ones that have creatures living in them."

The boy laughed, shaking his head at her. "You know, I doubt there's anything really terrible down there."

Glaring over her shoulder, Rowan replied, "Not according to my aunt. Apparently the lake houses a giant squid. If he's anything like the squids I've seen, I want nothing to do with him." That earned her another laugh from the boy, but he didn't comment again, choosing instead to talk to the boys sitting behind him.

The students were awed as they received their first look of the castle, all the windows lit up with candles. Hogwarts oozed magic, enticing all the students to be on their best behavior as they made their way up to the enormous doors for the first time. As they were escorted into an empty antechamber by Hagrid, they looked around at the stones, taking in the new sight. A short while after, a woman came into the room, a very no-nonsense look on her face, and she looked at them until they all fell silent.

Rowan gave a small smile to her aunt, and caught the thinnest of smiles in return before her aunt addressed them in her Scottish brogue. "Hello, and welcome to your first year at Hogwarts School of Witchcraft and Wizardry. My name is Professor McGonagall; I am the deputy headmistress and the professor for transfiguration. In a few moments we will be joining the other students in the Great Hall, where you all will be sorted into one of the four houses. Gryffindor, Hufflepuff, Ravenclaw, and Slytherin are the houses here, and the house you are sorted into is the house you will remain in until your time here is complete. Also, you should think of them as your family. You all will work together in an attempt to win the house cup. Good behavior and class participation earns house points, whereas breaking rules or misbehaving will cause you to lose points. Whoever has the most house points at the end of the school year will be awarded the house cup. Are there any questions?"

Perhaps it was the stern look on her face, or everyone was more concerned with the sorting ceremony, but nobody asked a single question. Nodding her head at them, the woman motioned for them to follow her, instructing them as they walked toward the entrance to the room. "Very well, it's time to begin." They walked between two of the four long tables running the length of the hall, before Professor McGonagall motioned for them to stop at the foot of the stairs, at the top of which sat a stool with an old hat upon it. Walking up the steps and standing behind the stool, the professor placed a gentle hand against the hat, and cleared her throat slightly. Amazingly, two slits opened up on the hat as eyes, and a third opened beneath them as the mouth, and the hat began to sing.

Listening half-heartedly, Rowan glanced around the hall, looking upon the sites her aunt had always described to her for the first time. _It's nothing like what I imagined…It's even better!_ Looking at each of the tables carefully, Rowan gave a half-wave to Frank, who was sitting next to a tan, black-haired boy. Smiling when he waved back, Rowan moved her gaze up to the head table, where her uncle beamed down at her from. Giving him a tentative smile, Rowan looked back at the hat, noticing that it was almost finished with its song. _Perhaps I should have listened…I hope it wasn't anything important!_ Shaking her thoughts away, Rowan looked at her aunt as she stepped forward once again.

"I will now call your names and you will be sorted into your new home."

 **Allen, Regina**. A pretty girl with blonde hair walked up to the stool and sat down. The hat was placed on her head, his eyes squinting and opening about before he shouted, _Hufflepuff_!

 **Black, Sirius**. Sauntering up to the stool, he sat down, fists clenched as his lips moved. After a few moments, a shout of _Gryffindor_ ripped out of the mouth of the hat, causing gasps to be heard from the Slytherin table. An older girl at the Ravenclaw table cheered along with the Gryffindors as the boy took his seat among them.

Rowan looked at the two who had been sorted, vaguely listening to the names of the other students ( **Bones** — **Boone** — **Cadwell** — **Dempsey** ), seeing them in conversation with their new housemates. _Well, it doesn't look too terribly frightening. They seem nice._ Shaking herself out of her musings, Rowan looked back up to the stool as **'Evans, Lily'** was called up. Automatically, she recognized her for the girl she had been mistaken for. The hat took nearly five minutes before finally yelling out, _Gryffindor,_ and Lily ran to join the group of cheering students, taking a seat next to the boy who had just been sorted there.

Two more students were sorted before, finally, **'Gallagher, Rowan'** was called. Smiling to her aunt as she walked up and took a seat, Rowan fidgeted nervously, sighing deeply as the hat covered her eyes.

 _Hello there, Ms Gallagher._ The hat whispered to her. _You don't need to worry; no others will be able to hear our conversation._

 _Hello…Mr. Hat?_ She thought, confusedly.

A laughed echoed through her mind. _Ah, but you remind me of a young man I once knew! Unlike him, however, the only place for you is_ _ **Gryffindor!**_ The hat roared the last word to the hall, and as it was removed from her head, Rowan saw Frank and his friend cheering and went over to join them.

Sitting down with the boys, Frank immediately started introductions. "Rowan, I'd like you to meet my best mate, Riyyan Patil! Riyyan, this is Rowan Gallagher, the first year I was telling you about!"

Putting out his hand, Riyyan greeted her warmly. "It's nice to meet you, Rowan. Welcome to Gryffindor! We learned pretty quickly that it's a bit crazy here, but it's great, you'll see soon enough!"

Rowan smiled back at him, nodding in greeting, before turning to face the rest of the sorting. As **'Lupin, Remus'** was sorted into Gryffindor, she caught a glance of the boy who she had run into before. More students were called to be sorted ( **Marrin** — **McKinnon** — **Nyx** — **O'Keefe** — **Parkinson** — **Parkinson** ) and as Rowan looked away a **'Pettigrew, Peter'** was being called up to the stool. Turning to look at the table, the girl noticed a few of the students trading some cards. A yell of _Slytherin_ brought her attention back to the front of the hall, and the boy she had run into, **'Potter, James'** took to the stool, the hat immediately yelling out _Gryffindor._ Four more students were called to the stool, and finally, a fifth, **'Wallace, Abigail'** received a great cheer as she was sorted into Ravenclaw, and the sorting ceremony had ended.

Minerva McGonagall moved the stool and the hat off to the side of the hall as a white haired, white bearded, eccentric looking man stood before them. "Welcome, and welcome back, students! For those of you who do not know, I am Professor Albus Dumbledore, headmaster of Hogwarts. If I remember from my own days here, you all will be quite hungry right about now, so we will save the pleasantries until after the meal. As for now, enjoy!" And with that, a grand meal sprung up on each of the tables, and the previously silent hall was filled with voices and laughter.

"So, Rowan, where are you from?" Riyyan asked, as he piled heaps of food upon his plate. Next to her, Rowan saw two of the other new Gryffindors, Lily Evans and Alice Fawley, listening.

"Um…Frank didn't tell you?" Rowan avoided Riyyan's eyes as she filled her cup with pumpkin juice before putting a bit of food on her plate.

"Nope, he never mentioned it. So, where?" Riyyan looked at her, his eyebrows raised in good humor.

"Caithness. You know, in Scotland?" Taking a few small bites, she turned her attention to Frank, raising an eyebrow at him, and shaking her head when he simply gave an innocent shrug. "And you?"

"Well, my family moved to London from India about fifteen years ago, so I'm from London." The boy shot a look at Frank, trying to follow his silent conversation with the girl, but Frank just shook his head.

Turning to the two girls, Rowan tried to bring them into the conversation. "What about you two, where are you from?"

The red-head answered excitedly. "I'm from Cokeworth, in England! My name is Lily, by the way."

The brown-haired Alice quickly introduced herself, before answering the question. "I'm from Pagford. My family has lived there for generations, apparently."

Rowan nodded, chewing thoughtfully. "Do you have a large family, then?"

Alice shrugged. "Not especially. I'm an only child but I've got lots of aunts and uncles. Our family just goes back a ways, you know?"

Not completely understanding, Rowan nodded her head, as Lily piped up. "You're an only child?"

Alice nodded. "Yeah, but I've got a ton of cousins, so it was never lonely growing up. Barely could get any peace and quiet, really. What about you?"

As Lily began to tell Alice about her sister, Rowan ate and thought about her own little family—her aunt, her uncle, and herself. Truthfully, they weren't much of a family in the true sense of the word. Her aunt was more her mother, while her uncle was a doting uncle who, although he cared for her very much, couldn't always be around because of his teaching job and his potions research. Lost in thought, Rowan didn't notice Lily's question until Frank gently elbowed her. "I'm sorry, what was that? I zoned out."

Lily smiled warmly at her, and repeated the question. "I was wondering about you. Do you have siblings, or are you an only child?"

Shifting slightly, Rowan avoided the girls' eyes as she answered. "I'm an only child, no siblings or cousins to speak of."

Alice smiled encouragingly. "Well, that's not bad at all! You would have had all your parents' attention then, right?"

Rowan shrugged, non-committed. "I guess, yeah." She went back to eating, frowning at her plate.

"You _guess_?" Alice tilted her head at the other girl, a confused look on her face, as Lily worried her lip with her teeth.

Taking a deep breath, Rowan looked at the other girls. "Well, yeah. I live with my adoptive aunt, so most of the time it was just me and her, and sometimes my adoptive uncle would come visit. But they both have full time jobs and I had lessons at the tutor, so…yeah." Turning back to Frank, she ignored the looks of surprise on Alice, Lily, and Riyyan's faces, asking the boy to pass the pumpkin juice. The rest of the dinner conversation was carefully angled away from family-life after that.

After all the students finished eating, Professor Dumbledore stood up again and updated the students on new rules put into place by the caretaker, an older man named Giles Maximus. Soon after, the prefects escorted the first years up to common room, reminding them to remember the password— _Nautilus_ —before instructing them on how they could get into their own dormitories. Yawning sleepily, Rowan followed the other girls to their room, happily settling into her bed after changing into her pajamas, and falling asleep in a castle for the first time.


End file.
